Metascore®Generally favorable reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.

100

out of 100

The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen

Key to the remake's ultimate success is the casting of the troubled young leads.Smit-McPhee and Moretz possess the soulful depth and pre-adolescent vulnerability necessary to keep it compellingly real.

The surprise of Let Me In is that director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) hasn't just remade the Swedish cult vampire film "Let the Right One In" into a more fluid and visceral movie. He's made it more dangerous.

Parents need to know that Let Me In is a very gory remake of the 2008 Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In. It has similarly somber mood, more blood, and a bit less mystery. Both movies include some fairly controversial elements -- such as a 12-year-old girl disrobing (nothing is shown) and climbing into bed with a 12-year-old boy (nothing happens). There's also teen bullying and smoking, strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t"), and many disturbing and frightening images (lots of which are soaked in gushing blood). Teens who are looking for something weightier than what the Twilight saga has to offer will appreciate the strong characters and performances, but it's not age-appropriate for younger viewers -- or anyone with a low tolerance for gore.

Families can talk about the film's violence and blood and gore. How did it affect you?

Is fighting back a good way to deal with bullies? Did Owen's actions help his situation? What are some other ways of dealing with bullies?

Owen clearly needed someone to reach out to, but is Abby the right choice? Who else could he have reached out to?

The good stuff

Messages: Main character Owen is an awkward kid who's dealing with life in a miserable little town, an absent dad, and a mother who's a distant religious fanatic. Bullies threaten him at school, and he has no friends until he meets a vampire girl about his age. It's nice that Owen finally connects with someone, but needless to say, theirs is a rather unhealthy relationship. Their behavior together is often irresponsible -- it includes lying, too much sexual tension for such a young age, revenge, and running away. And the girl actually kills several people with no consequences.

Role models: Owen is a quiet misfit who can't quite connect to anyone until he makes friends with vampire Abby. Unfortunately, she's the wrong kind of influence, so neither of their characters can be seen as a positive role model. The adults in the movie don't fare much better; most of them seem miserable, trapped by their sorry fates, and unable to connect with the children in a meaningful way.

What to watch for

Violence: Bloody attacks, sucking of blood, gushing blood, neck snapping, strangling, disposal of dead bodies, thumb slicing, suicide, a face burned with acid, scary vampire images, bodies bursting into flame, and attempted drowning. There's a car accident that's shown from inside the car. A 12-year-old boy plays with a kitchen knife. Also severe and violent bullying among the middle schoolers; the hero fights back by hitting a bully in the side of the head with a large stick. In one death scene, viewers can see a pulsing vein in the victim's neck slowly stop moving.

Sex: In one controversial scene, the 12-year-old vampire girl takes off her clothes (nothing is shown) and climbs into bed with the 12-year-old boy. There's no hint of sex or even kissing, but the boy does choose this moment to ask the girl to go steady. Later the boy and the girl share an awkward, sexually charged moment alone in a secret room, though nothing happens. Otherwise, the boy spies on his neighbors and catches a man and a woman about to have sex. Viewers see a naked breast and kissing. Some bullies at school try to remove a girl's bathing suit (the act is more malicious than sexual).

Language: Strong language throughout, including many uses of "f--k" and "s--t," as well as "Jesus," "Jesus Christ," and "God" (alll used as exclamations) and "goddamn," "pissed," "ass," and "crap."

Consumerism: Most brands/logos are used to help establish the movie's 1983 setting: Rubik's Cube, Ms. Pac-Man, KISS.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Several secondary characters, all teens, are seen smoking cigarettes. One of the main adult characters smokes regularly.

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